Boris Johnson gives up his Boris Bike but London pedals on

He is London's most prominent advocate of cycling but Boris has been forced to give up his bike.

London: He's torn up precious stretches of London roads to create cycle paths and rolled out thousands of rental bikes, universally known as "Boris Bikes" across the capital, but the former mayor Boris Johnson has been forced trade his two wheels for four since becoming Foreign Secretary.

"I used to cycle all the way around London," Mr Johnson, who is often simply referred to as "Boris", bemoaned this week.

"I used to cycle everywhere and I do miss it." He said he had given up cycling more than 570 kilometres per year.

Mr Johnson said he had been banned from pedalling because "it involves a sort of convoy of police cyclists, plus cars, plus God knows what." But he said the security restrictions in his home-town, London, were nothing like those he recently experienced in Pakistan.

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A man takes a Santander bike in London on Monday.Credit:Latika Bourke

"There were literally 5,000 police officers and two ambulances and a fire engine," he told British television station ITV.

Santander Cycles, as the "Boris Bikes" are officially known, began operating in July 2010. There are currently 11,500 bikes across London and a new, 2-kilogram lighter model will be rolled out from 2018, at a rate of 500 per year.

The most active Santander Cycle currently in the fleet has been hired for 5,119 trips and Transport for London says the bikes travelled 40 million kilometres in 2016.

"Boris Bikes" are especially popular with tourists who can access a bike for £2 ($3.40) and ride free for 30 minutes and for £2 for each 30 minutes thereafter.

The new mayor for London, Labour's Sadiq Khan, on Monday committed a total £770 million ($1.3 billion) to cycleways and initiatives. Mr Khan said the spending pledged for the next five years would amount to double what Mr Johnson had spent on cycling. He has also advertised for a new Walking and Cycling Commissioner.

"By spending £770 million over the course of the next TfL Business Plan, we'll now be spending the same per head as Denmark and the Netherlands – places famous around the world for their cycling."

Cycling is not the only thing Mr Johnson has been forced to give up since being made Foreign Secretary. He gave up writing his regular column for the British Daily Telegraph newspaper for which he was paid an annual salary of £275,000 ($469,540).

Former Prime Minister David Cameron took part in much-publicised weekly rides to Westminster to spruik his green credentials but was forced to give up the bike rides after several controversies, including revelations work documents, briefcase and shoes were transported via a car behind him.